Technical Abstract:
Hydrogels have been widely studied due to their potential application in drug delivery systems as they are capable of forming aggregates in aqueous solutions. Hydrogels formed from biopolymers or natural sources have special advantages because of their biodegradable and biocompatible properties. In this investigation, the preparation of soy-based hydrogels, their viscoelastic properties, and application for controlled drug release are reported. It was found that soy-based hydrogels exhibited viscoelastic solid or gel behavior above 2% (wt.-%) at room temperature and viscous liquid behavior at 55 deg C. The thermal assembly-disassembly-reassembly functions of the hydrogels were completely reversible. The load and release water-soluble anticancer drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (Dox) on nanoparticles, which prepared from soy hydrogels and lipids, were measured spectrophotometrically. Treatment of the multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer cells by this system resulted in over 8-fold increase in cell kill when compared to Dox solution treatment at equivalent doses. This new polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle system may offer great potential to deliver Dox effectively for the treatment of MDR breast cancer.